Digital Natives 1/23/09

Digital natives are people who have grown up with technology, they have always had computers, cell phones, and video games. Digital natives are very good at multitasking, for example they can listen to music, watch television, and do their homework at the same time. Digital immigrants, those who have not grown up with technology, but are trying to adopt it, do not understand the way digital natives think. Most teachers now are digital immigrants, and have not formatted their classroom using technology. It is much easier for digital natives to learn using the technology they have grown up using, and also more enjoyable for them. Schools need to adapt curriculum that uses the digital natives interest to their advantage. Some colleges and even the army are beginning to use technology. The army uses gaming as simulations, and some universities also use gaming as a teaching tool. Younger and younger children are becoming more technologically advanced, so integrating technology in the classroom would be to our advantage.